1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved structure for multiple-effect distillation. More specifically, it relates to a modular structure for each effect, wherein a multiplicity of modules are concatenated to produce the desired number of effects. It is applicable to effects using either tubes or plates as the primary heat exchanger between effects.
2. Related Art
This is an improvement invention on my U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,759, Structure for multiple-effect distillation, which disclosed a structure for a multiple-effect still based on single vertical baffles separating adjacent effects and which used vertical heat exchanger tubes, where the tubes were mounted in a lower tube sheet which was fastened and sealed to the baffle, and where the baffle had an aperture or “window” lower than the tube sheet which allowed vapor and liquid to pass from one effect to another; additional supporting apparatus were also disclosed. The former invention also featured a shell between effects made of four pieces of channel welded together into a frame, with the baffles sandwiched between adjacent frames.
While the structure disclosed by the former invention was simple to manufacture, it proved difficult to maintain. The current invention solves this problem.